Iran sanctions are back in force, says the US

The US unilaterally said on Sunday that UN sanctions against Iran were back in force, promising to punish those who violate them.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after meeting Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa. Picture: AFP

The US unilaterally said on Sunday that UN sanctions against Iran were back in force and promised to punish those who violate them, in a move its allies said lacked legal basis.

The snapback — announced last month — also drew a sharp rebuke from Tehran, which called on the rest of the world to unite against US “reckless actions”.

“Today, the United States welcomes the return of virtually all previously terminated UN sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. He said the measures were back in effect from 8pm on Saturday (10am Sunday AEST).

The Trump administration also promised to “impose consequences” on any UN member state which does not comply with the measures.

The sanctions in question were lifted in 2015 when Iran signed on to an international agreement not to seek to build nuclear weapons.

But Donald Trump withdrew the US from the landmark accord in 2018, saying the deal — negotiated by Barack Obama — was insufficient. He then renewed and even strengthened Washington’s own sanctions.

A man walks past graffiti depicting a prisoner under the control of legendary Persian hero Rustam in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Sunday. Picture: AFP

At the moment, the US is insisting it is still a participant in the agreement that it stormed out of, but only so it can activate the snapback option, which it announced on August 20. Virtually every other member of the Security Council disputes Washington’s ability to execute this legal pirouette, and the council has not taken the measure any further.

On Sunday, two permanent council members — France and Britain — issued a joint statement along with non-permanent member Germany saying Mr Pompeo’s “purported notification” was “incapable of having any legal effect”. Russia’s foreign ministry also said that Washington’s statements lacked legal authority.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in Tehran: “We expect the international community and all the countries in the world to stand against these reckless actions by the regime in the White House and speak in one voice.”

Mr Pompeo had promised in his announcement that measures would be announced in the coming days against “violators” of the sanctions. Mr Trump could unveil those measures in his speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.

AFP